In an image forming device such as a copying machine and a printer, sheets on which images have been formed are delivered and stacked on a delivered sheet stacking section externally provided on a body of the image forming device.
The delivered sheet stacking section is conventionally provided with it externally protruding from the image forming device. Recently, the image forming device has become such a system that it is possible to install various kinds of peripheral devices to a main body. With such improvement, the main body has been made smaller and has occupied less space. As a result, the delivered sheet stacking section is provided on an upside of an image forming section in the main body.
However, in such conventional image forming device, it is often that a top portion of the image forming section has an image reading device. Thus, in a case where the delivered sheet stacking section is provided on the upside of the image forming section and below the image reading device, there occurs such a problem that it is difficult to remove the sheets delivered to the delivered sheet stacking section.
Thus, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 201603/1993 (Tokukaihei 5-201603)(Publication date: Aug. 10, 1993) and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 339105/1996 (Tokukaihei 8-339105)(Publication date: Dec. 24, 1996) disclose the following image forming device. As shown in FIG. 21, a delivered sheet stacking tray 601 is formed so that: sheets are delivered from a left side of an image forming device 600 to a sheet stacking surface 602, and an opening concave 604 positioned lower than the sheet stacking surface 602 is provided on the image forming device 600 so as to be positioned below and on the side of an operation section 603, that is, on a front side of the image forming device 600.
Compared with a case where there is no opening concave 604 positioned lower than the sheet stacking surface 602, it is somewhat easy to remove the delivered sheets in this arrangement, but there occurs such a new problem that: a side edge of the sheet has to pass over the opening concave 602 existing on a part of a direction in which the sheet is transported, and this deteriorates a condition under which the sheets are stacked on the sheet stacking surface 602, so that it is difficult to align the delivered sheets. That is, a side edge of the sheet falling in the opening concave 604 hits a brim wall of the opening concave 604 which brim wall is positioned on the down stream side in a delivering direction, so that directions in which the sheets are delivered are not uniformed.
Further, there occurs such a problem that: when an operator performs operations standing near the image forming device, it is difficult to put his/her hand to the delivered sheet stacking tray 601
Moreover, this problem occurs also in a case where there is no image reading device above the image forming device, so that it is difficult to align the sheets, and it is difficult for the operator to put his/her hand to the delivered sheet stacking tray upon removing the sheets. Specifically, when the operator performs operations standing near the image forming device, it is difficult to insert his/her hand to the delivered sheet stacking tray.